Automatic control system

ABSTRACT

An internal combustion engine drives a reciprocating compressor installed with various flow control valves in a gas pipeline. A pneumatic system using logic elements and control boards controls the starting, running and stopping of the engine and compressor and the working of the valves either from a point at the site or from a remote point. There are several choices of the relative amount of control by an attendant or automatically and including automatic imposition of load and response to variations in load and also automatic response to anomalous or dangerous conditions.

I United States Patent 1191 [111 3,753,626 Bacchi Aug. 21, 1973 [54]AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM 3,160,101 12/1964 BartOSeSki et al. 417/277Inventor: y M acchi, kland, Ca f 3,232,519 2/1966 Long 417/13 [73]Assignee: De Laval Turbine Inc., Oakland, Primary Examiner-Carlton R.Croyle Calif. Assistant Examiner-R. J. Sher Filed: g 1970Attorney-Lothrop & West 1 [21] Appl. No.: 67,540 [57] ABSTRACT Aninternal combustion engine drives a reciprocating 52 US. Cl 417/1,417/18, 417/274 installed with variws Comm! valves 51 Int. c1. F04b49/02 a gas Pipeline- A PneumafiC System using 58] Field of Search U417, 12, l 8, 33, ments and control boards controls the starting,running 447/44, 45, 274, 275, 276 277 and stopping of the engine andcompressor and the working of the valves either from a point at the siteor [56] References Cited from a remote point. There are several choicesof the UNITED STATES PATENTS relative amount of control by an attendantor automatically and including automatic imposition of load and 3:33 3;l 7/13 X response to variations in load and also automatic regg 1532sponse to anomalous or dangerous conditions. 3.251534 5/1966 Strecker417/12 X 4 Claims, 48 Drawing Figures j 655 SHIF -3 I62 1 i .5634 I I IP l 522 1 s 1 w Z #30 lg i 83/ i 1 53/ /6zj;

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' 862 1 3 I a I 87/ W UPI/V 8 3, 572% J *1 I" H I 41: .iuPPu I PatentedAug. 21, 1973 3,753,626

57 Sheets-Sheet 7 1G 2 JHEET 6 Patented Aug. 21, 1973 37 Sheets-Sheet l6Patented Aug. 21, 1973 37 Sheets-Sheet 17 UM GRK

1. An automatic control system for an engine driving a gas compressorhaving a compression pocket and adapted to be connected in a pipelinecomprising means for isolating said pocket from the remainingcompression volume of said compressor, a step-by-step programmer, meansfor generating pneumatic pulses, means responsive to a control factorfor regulating said pulse generating means, means responsive to saidpulses for stepping and positioning said programmer, and pnuematic meansresponsive to the position of said programmer for operating said pocketisolating means, and means for controlling the operation of said engine,and pneumatic means responsive to the position of said programmer foroperating said engine controlling means.
 2. An automatic control systemfor an engine driving a gas compressor having a compression pocket andadapted to be connected in a pipeline comprising means for isolatingsaid pocket from the remaining compression volume of said compressor, astep-by-step programmer, means for generating pneumatic pulses, meansresponsive to a control factor for regulating said pulse generatingmeans, means responsive to said pulses for stepping and positioning saidprogrammer, and pneumatic means responsive to the position of saidprogrammer for operating said pocket isolating means, and meanssubstantially responsive to the brake mean effective pressure of saidengine, and pneumatic means contrOlled by said brake mean effectivepressure responsive means for stepping said programmer to control saidengine.
 3. An automatic control system for an engine driving a gascompressor having a compression pocket and adapted to be connected in apipeline comprising means for isolating said pocket from the remainingcompression volume of said compressor, a step-by-step programmer, meansfor generating pneumatic pulses, means responsive to a control factorfor regulating said pulse generating means, means responsive to saidpulses for stepping and positioning said programmer, and pneumatic meansresponsive to the position of said programmer for operating said pocketisolating means, and a pneumatically actuated vibration shut-down deviceresponsive to excessive engine vibration, and means controlled by saidprogrammer for temporarily disabling said vibration shut-down device. 4.An automatic control system for an engine driven gas compressor andincluding a pneumatic control board incorporating a pneumatic ductextending between an entrance port and an exit port, a pneumatic meansfor stopping said engine, means connecting said exit port to saidpneumatic means, a pneumatically actuated engine shut-down deviceresponsive to an operating factor of said engine, means connecting saidshut-down device to actuate said stopping means, and means controlled bysaid engine shut-down device for venting to atmosphere the supply ofpneumatic fluid at said entrance port.